Nigel Farage has faced a number of controversies in the last few months and he has now hit back by insisting: “Let me be clear, I’ve done nothing wrong.” In a dramatic statement, Mr Farage said: “I’ve not broken the law. I have not misused public money.” He announced he was resigning as an MP to force a by election in his Clacton seat, which he will stand in – and hopes to win, allowing him to return to Parliament.

Reform UK’s leader is facing a parliamentary investigation over a £5 million gift he received from party donor Christopher Harborne before he became an MP. Mr Farage reacted angrily when approached at an airport by a Sky News journalist asking whether it had been a mistake not to declare gifts from the ally. If found to have breached the rules, Mr Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension that could trigger a recall petition and a by-election in his seat.

The Reform leader has repeatedly said that he was not required to register the gift, which he has said was purely personal. The Clacton MP has given various explanations for the gift, including that it was to pay for his personal security, and that it was a “reward” for campaigning for Brexit throughout his political career. In a recent round of interviews, Mr Farage insisted the gift was a “wholly private matter”, and refused to say if he had spent any of it on security, or on anything else.

George Cottrell donation

The Reform UK leader is under pressure following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell had provided funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected.

Labour has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate whether the support should have been declared because Mr Farage was a prominent figure in Reform even before he returned to frontline politics.

The party also questioned whether Montenegro-based Mr Cottrell was a permissible donor, claiming it was not clear whether he was on a UK electoral register at the time.

Mr Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.

Mr Farage said he has “done no wrongdoing” after The Sunday Times investigation into his ties with Mr Cottrell.

Family properties

It emerged last week that Mr Farage and his partner have built a mortgage-free property empire worth more than £4 million in the last decade.

The Times has reported that the Reform UK leader and his partner, Laure Ferrari, own at least five homes across Essex, Kent and Surrey – despite Mr Farage claiming he was “skint” in 2017.

Land Registry records show that all but one were purchased with cash since 2020 – the year the UK officially left the EU – with the other in 2017 following Mr Farage’s separation from his second wife.

However, Mr Farage only declares two of the properties under the land and property section of the register of members’ interests, raising concerns about how he has declared his real estate holdings.

Direct Bullion payment

Mr Farage also made headlines last week when he declared his largest single payment yet for work outside his role as an MP, after earning £270,000 for promoting gold bullion.

He declared the payment from Direct Bullion in his latest register of financial interests.

The register states the £270,000 was paid to Mr Farage for an estimate of up to four hours work “per month over the course of a three-month period”.

Mr Farage works as a brand ambassador for the company and has registered several other A spokesman for Mr Farage said: “As has previously been reported and declared, Nigel Farage is a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion.”

Christopher Harborne donation

Mr Farage received a £5m gift from British-Thai crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before he became an MP.

Farage has said that he did not need to declare the money because it was not related to politics.

He said Mr Harborne’s gift had been intended to cover his personal security costs. He has also called it a “reward” for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years.